We Pick the Best VPNs (So You Don’t Have to)

More and more people are using VPNs to protect their privacy online, get around government censorship and access TV shows and other media that are not typically available in your home market. We’ve compared some of the top VPNs available to help you narrow down your options. Read on to find out which VPN is right for you.

Quick Intro Into What To Look For In A VPN

Skip this bit if you’re a VPN aficionado. If you’re new to this VPN game, though, it might help to know what we looked at when judging which are the best VPNs.

Simultaneous connections

Chances are that if you’re looking to protect your privacy you don’t want to have a super secure laptop but an unprotected phone. So this number tells you how many devices you can connect to a VPN service at once. You can get around this number if you connect your router to the VPN and then all your devices to the router, but this won’t help you when you’re out and about.

Servers

More servers in more countries means that your VPN service has both the capacity to meet demand (number of servers) and options to spoof your location (number of countries). More servers in more countries also means you’re more likely to have a server nearby which will improve your experience and speeds.

Encryption protocols

Security geeks all have their favorite encryption protocols. If you are one of those people, this list makes it easy to narrow down your VPN choice. If you aren’t, suffice it to say not all protocols work on all devices and some are more secure than others. Many prefer OpenVPN, but it won’t work on most VPNs’ iPhone apps. IKEv2/IPSec is a good second choice. SSTP is especially good for getting through firewalls. PPTP and L2TP are older and less secure but can work for low-security activities like streaming video.

Logs

If a VPN maintains logs, they could potentially be accessed by outside parties or requested by law enforcement. Now we’re not saying you’re doing anything illegal on your VPN, but if you’ve chosen to go VPN for the sake of privacy, pick a VPN that doesn’t maintain logs.

Kill switch

VPN companies use a kill switch to completely shut down your connection if the VPN connection fails for some reason. This saves you from inadvertently browsing along happily unprotected for hours after your VPN blips out. You want a kill switch.

Speed impact

We worked with our friends over at PCMag to assess how much of a drag each VPN has on download speeds. To keep your connection fast, look for the lowest impact possible.

Netflix access

We’re using Netflix as a test of how well you can access rights-limited content from other countries because Netflix is strongly anti-VPN. We can’t guarantee that they won’t crack down on any VPN that we identify here, but it’s a starting point.

NordVPN earned the PCMag Editor’s Choice award in 2018 with a rare five-star review. If that isn’t proof positive that NordVPN is one of the best VPNs out there, you may also want to know that they offer a great user experience, all the add-ons you could hope for (including a static IP address), dedicated servers and a reasonable price tag. Oh, and it can get around China’s Great Firewall. Need we say more?

Our second choice, Private Internet Access, allows you to use P2P file-sharing networks and BitTorrent on all servers. The spare interface offers a good choice for tech-savvy users who want a minimal VPN interface. They’re also the cheapest option on this list and they accept many types of anonymous payments from Bitcoin to gift cards. And Private Internet Access has an ad- and tracker-blocking tool called MACE to sweeten the deal.

Of the myriad reasons we love TunnelBear, the mascot is only the first (and that cute bear is also a good representation of the company’s focus on design and user experience). The independent security audit is a close second and the one-click connection that’s protected by VigilantBear while you’re connecting and disconnecting is third.

TunnelBear only uses dedicated servers and they’re serious about privacy. There’s even a free option if you only use 500 MB of data per month.

With a strong geographic distribution of servers (including Hong Kong but excepting Turkey and Russia), CyberGhost is a strong choice for sophisticated users who like to play with layers of settings to get just what they like.

CyberGhost has special servers for streaming and allows P2P file sharing and BitTorrent (on specially marked servers). Pay anonymously with BitCoin or gift cards. They do use some virtual servers but their locations are shared with the company’s physical servers.

Editors' Note: IPVanish is owned by j2 Global, the parent company of Ookla

As one of the fastest VPNs we reviewed, IPVanish is a good choice. We like that they automatically cycle IP addresses and that you can configure almost any device to use their service (though they offer native apps if you want to make your life easier). But our favorite thing about IPVanish is that they place zero restrictions on BitTorrent. And if virtual servers concern you, know that IPVanish owns almost all of their own servers and heavily vets the rest.

We think you’ll enjoy the searchability of IPVanish’s server list. Find out for yourself if their hacker-chic interface is your speed. Like a couple of other options on our list, IPVanish no longer operates in Russia. Need more info? Read an extended review.

Regardless of which of these best VPNs you choose, you’re taking a solid step toward protecting your privacy online. Well done, you!

The links above are affiliate links. While we might earn a commission if you choose to purchase, rest assured that our recommendations are based on our actual favorites.